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People in San Francisco are paying tribute to California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who died Thursday night at the age of 90. From member station KQED, Guy Marzorati reports on mourners who gathered at San Francisco City Hall.
GUY MARZORATI, BYLINE: At City Hall, San Francisco Mayor London Breed remembered meeting Dianne Feinstein when she ran the city. Feinstein had invited Breed's middle school band to play at a celebration for the San Francisco 49ers.
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LONDON BREED: She stopped by to say hi to us. She made sure she brought over Joe Montana. And let me tell you, that was one of the best moments of my life.
MARZORATI: Years later, Feinstein, then a U.S. senator, was one of the first people to call Breed when she became the second female mayor in the city's history.
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BREED: And we had a very long discussion about just what she went through, how she made decisions, how difficult it was.
MARZORATI: Upstairs from Breed, residents lined up to sign a book of condolences for Feinstein's family. Joe Begovich admired Feinstein's longevity the more than half a century she spent in public office.
JOE BEGOVICH: Spent every single day trying to improve the lives of every single person, all the way until her last day. And I think it's an inspiration to all of us.
MARZORATI: Prapas Aroonchaipirom wrote to thank Feinstein for her advocacy of gun safety laws, which includes the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban.
PRAPAS AROONCHAIPIROM: I think the way that she fight for the gun control, that's the - I think the most important that I remember about her.
MARZORATI: For John Toupin, it was Feinstein's focus on the little things, the constituent services, that he says he'll remember.
JOHN TOUPIN: If you had a problem and you called her office, someone always called you back without fail.
MARZORATI: Toupin is a Navy veteran. Over the years, he contacted Feinstein's office any time he needed help figuring out an issue with the VA.
TOUPIN: She never blew me off.
MARZORATI: Asked what he wrote in the condolence book, Toupin says he left a letter of, quote, "gratitude and thankfulness for the chance I got to be in Feinstein's city."
For NPR News, I'm Guy Marzorati. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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